Stanpit Marsh & Hengistbury Head

Waterside Natural History Society visit Stanpit Marsh and Hengistbury Head

Christchurch is fortunate to have two Nature Reserves on its doorstep both of which border onto Christchurch harbour. Stanpit Marsh is on the northern landward side of the harbour whereas Hengistbury Head is on the southern seaward side. The higher land of Hengistbury provides a natural shelter for the harbour and also for Stanpit Marsh. Although they are close together they are separated by the water of the harbour so a fifteen minute car journey is required to move from one to the other.
We started our visit at Stanpit Marsh which is a low lying area of reclaimed mud flats although the sea claims large areas back again at high tide. Unfortunately high tide coincided with our visit so we were not able to access some of the reserve. Nevertheless there were large numbers of migrating birds crowded onto the remaining land and seashore; the sight of which was the main object of our visit.
Stanpit Marsh Reserve has a modern visitor centre and provides a welcome board of information about tide levels and what can be seen that day. On this occasion it also provided information about Godwits which we saw in good numbers during our visit. It informed us that Godwits get their name from old English meaning ‘Good Creature’; a reference to their being good to eat. In the nineteenth century the attitude to wild birds was different to that of today. Charles Dickens mentions in his book ‘Martin Chuzzlewit’ that a ‘Bird Fancier’ has a shop in which wild birds are sold for keeping in cages or as target practice for gun clubs. We think of ourselves as more caring these days but wild birds had a better chance of survival then than they do today.
Besides the Godwits, which were Black Tailed Godwit, there were Redshank, Little Egret and Curlew scouring the grass for food. In the water Wigeon and Teal were increasing in number from their winter migration. Most of the birds we saw were on some form of migration or using the sheltered marshes for a rest and to refuel. Canada Geese and Black Bellied Brent Geese were seen on one of the sandbanks together with Cormorants which flew to higher ground as the water rose above their chest level.
We saw a great number of Lapwing which was an encouraging sign as they face difficult survival conditions from loss of habitat and predators. It would be a pity to lose these birds as they offer a unique sight and sound experience when they fly in flocks over the harbour.
The Black Headed Gulls and Coots are usually overlooked but they fill the landscape with their movement and squabbling. Looking between the movements we saw Oystercatchers, Dunlin, Ringed Plover and the occasional Grey Plover. Although we did not see anything unusual it was good to see the vast numbers of birds which were particularly spectacular when disturbed by something such as the Kestrel that occasionally flew over.
After lunch we travelled over to Hengistbury Head. There were few birds to see at this time of year, most of them sensibly kept to the shelter of Stanpit Marsh, but we liked the idea of a brisk walk. We were not the only ones as most of the population of Christchurch seemed to have the same idea and the car park and pathways were crowded with people out for a Sunday walk. On the way back to the car park we passed a family going the other way and a small boy said to his mother “Those people are all wearing blue coats Mummy”. It was only then that we realised we were wearing identical Berghaus coats and I thought perhaps most people are wearing a uniform and don’t realise it.

Fungi Foray

Waterside Natural History Society and a Fungi Foray

In October our normal walk turns into a foray. A foray is the same as a walk except you look at the ground in search of fungi; always hoping that the person in front of you is more of a walker so you don’t get lost. Fungi and foray go together like apples and pears or cake and walk but it probably has more to do with them starting on the same letter. Fungi are very fickle and don’t always appear when and where you want them. The rains we had in early autumn encouraged lots of fungi but the recent dry spell reduced the chances so it was with some trepidation that we embarked on our quest to find and identify the fungi around Dibden Enclosure.
This year we were lucky enough to have with us an expert in the form of Phil Budd which not only makes things easier but has a greater chance of getting the identifications right.
It is usually a help to try and place fungi into groups and the first such group was the Milk Caps or lactaria. We saw the Ugly Milk Cap which has a large slimy dirty olive cap, the Liver Milk Cap which has a liver coloured cap and the Saffron Milk Cap which is mottled orange in colour. The milk which gives the fungi their name can best be seen by drawing a finger nail across the gills beneath the cap. Another group are the boletes which have a spongy mass of pores in place of gills. The Bay bolete with its brown cap and streaky brown stem was found growing on the forest floor.
The group of small fungi growing in massed patches was represented by the Deceiver which is normally red brown or brick in colour but as its name suggests is very variable in form. The Glistening Ink Cap also grows in patches around old tree stumps as does the Sulphur tuft whose name offers a good description.
The Amanita group was represented by theTawny Grisette which gets its name from the grooved cap margins. Also in this group were the Blusher which stains red when cut or bruised and the Fly Agaric. The Fly Agaric is one of the most recognised fungi from its representation in cartoons and gets its name from the ibotenic acid it contains which is a mild insecticide. The False Death Cap, also an Amanita, is distinguished from the true death cap by its paler colour and smell of new potatoes. It is not so deadly poisonous but no one wanted to put this to the test.
The False Chanterelle has decurrent gills running down onto the stem and is separated from the true Chanterelle by having thinner more crowded gills.
The Russula group was represented by the Sickener with a scarlet cap, white gills and stem which if eaten is a stomach irritant and also by the Purple Pine Russule.
Several fungi grow in the form of brackets on the trunks of trees. Some are quite large like the Blushing Bracket and some smaller like the Many Zoned Polypore or Turkey Tail fungus which was once used for jewellery.
Some fungi such as the Green Wood cup are very small but this particular one has the ability to stain the wood on which it grows a bright green.
Another fungus called the Common Stinkhorn is noted for its foul smell and phallus shape which makes it instantly recognisable.
The English names are very descriptive either of the fungi appearance or other characteristics but the Latin names are useful for classification purposes particularly if you want to identify all of the species available.
Altogether 33 different fungi were identified of which the above is a small selection and represent a slightly less number than expected. There are over a thousand fungi varieties in the New Forest area which gives an idea of the unlikelihood of getting the identification right. It is debateable whether picking fungi harms the stock in the wild since the spores will have already spread when they are picked but at best it stops other people from the pleasure of finding them and at worst it could be fatal.

Manor Farm Bird Fair

Waterside Natural History Society goes to a Bird Fair

We were due to go for a walk around Dibden Enclosure for this month’s outdoor meeting but we took the opportunity to visit a bird fair at Manor Farm Country Park instead.
Not many years ago a bird fair would mean the sale and exchange of chickens or game birds and their eggs but nowadays it is all about watching wild birds in the countryside. Bird watching has become ever more popular as the number of birds has declined. When sparrows and swallows crowded under the eaves of every house and wild birds cleaned up after the harvest most people thought birds were a nuisance and only small boys went out to gather birds eggs. The reason for their decline may be conveniently complex but if you have ever seen a meadow dying after been sprayed by herbicide the reason becomes all too clear. It is the loss of habitat and food that means birds cannot survive in the wild. Nevertheless people are rising to the challenge and going to ever greater lengths to spot birds in the wild and take their own photographs.
Birdwatching is becoming a big business. Wild bird food is sold in many outlets and highly technical photographic equipment is snapped up by the discerning amateur. You can now watch pigeons mating on your garden fence without having to look through the window.
On arrival at the bird fair we decided to go on one of the organised walks which was due to depart imminently. We would then have our lunch followed by a walk round the exhibits and if time allowed we would then walk on our own around the park. The guided walk was to be a stroll through the woods looking for birds and anything else that was brought to our attention. Unfortunately it is a bad time for bird spotting at the moment as leaves are still on the trees and many of the birds have started their migrations. It did not help either that the group consisted of over fifty people shuffling and talking their way behind the guides.
Birdspotting is rather an anomaly however and the poor viewing conditions did draw attention to the fact that birdhearing might just as easily be used. Identifying birds by their calls is a difficult skill to master. Even if your hearing is good you have to associate the sound with a particular bird and more importantly you have to remember the sound for the next time you hear it. Teaching music in schools is not regarded a priority these days but it would definitely be an advantage with bird identification. Fortunately the guides were skilled in this area and nuthatch, tree creeper and members of the tit family were all identified before they were seen.
There may be a shortage of bird sightings at the moment but this is compensated for by the abundance of fungi. One of our guides was able to identify a number of fungi from the many thousands that occur in the country and he pointed out that when starting to identify fungi the best idea is to first identify the group or species to which it belongs. It is also a good idea to know what to look for. Does the stem snap like chalk, is it tough and spindly or is it fibrous? Does the fungi have gills or is it spongy? One of the boletes turned from lime green to blue within seconds when cut with a knife and one called a beefsteak looked exactly like its namesake. The fly agaric is one that can be identified by most people and we were fortunate to find a perfect example as we neared the end of our walk. It is a good idea to assume all fungi are poisonous and wash your hands after handling.
The exhibits in the fair consisted of stalls representing the various countryside organisations such as the RSPB, Hampshire council and Hampshire and IOW wildlife trust. There were sales of bird food and refreshments but surprisingly none of birdwatching equipment. Demonstrations went on during the day but when we went round a tawny owl with its handler was the only sign of bird life.
One of the stalls had, as a means of attracting interest, a box of bird feathers and the stallholder asked passersby to identify from which bird they came. I thought this was quite difficult as none of the feathers were from common birds and lots of people did not even try. A young girl with her mother picked up one of the feathers and suggested tentatively what she thought it was and to everyone’s surprise it was correct. She then went on to correctly identify all the rest of the feathers in the box. One that she identified as a greater spotted woodpecker was in fact from a green woodpecker but was nevertheless pretty impressive. I had never thought that young people would be so interested in nature and that you had to be old to appreciate it but perhaps the future is in good hands after all.

Waverley Paddle Steamer

A short trip on the Waverley paddle steamer from Southampton
We noticed an advert for one day cruises on the Waverley paddle steamer in the local paper and decided that we might like to give it a try. The advert gave a price of £34 each with a second pensioner going half price but when we checked on the internet it gave a price of £37. On phoning they confirmed £37 was the correct price but with the half price second ticket we thought it was still worth it so we went ahead and booked.
All we had to worry about was the weather which a week ahead did not look good due to approaching high winds and rain. However nearer the day the forecast was for the bad weather to be postponed to later so we were looking forward to a pleasant trip.
On the day, which was a Saturday, we duly got up early and were in the car park at the dockside in Southampton with about 45minutes spare. We were expecting a high parking cost of about five pounds for the day so it was a bit of a shock to discover that it would be £10 payable on exit. The parking scales which were the highest for 5-24 hours looked to be specifically targeted to obtain the greatest return from day trip users. Luckily we found out about the charges before we got on board so made sure we had £10 in coins for our return. Other people were not so fortunate and had great trouble in feeding ten pound notes through the machine.
Our first impression on seeing the ship head on was that it was quite a small boat but sideways on the length makes it look a lot larger. It did not help that the dock level was above the boat deck due to the low tide. I had seen the Waverley some years before when it sailed from Largs on the west coast of Scotland so I was familiar with the two funnels and wide paddle chambers.
The trip was billed as ‘Yarmouth and the Needles’ but by the time of the trip we had forgotten the details and just looked forward to a cruise on the water. There were probably less than a hundred people boarding at Southampton so we had plenty of room to wander around the ship as we pleased and at the start we went on to the top observation deck. We were surprised how smoothly the ship reversed from the dockside and how quickly it gathered speed. Once out in the water it had to stop and manoeuvre to start its forward motion and this operation took some time with both the Isle of Wight and Hythe ferries waiting patiently for us to gather speed. We stayed on the top deck whilst the ship moved down Southampton Water and into the Solent on its way to Portsmouth.
During this part of the voyage we went down for a coffee and biscuit in the restaurant. The latte coffee turned out to be a bit of a disappointment probably due to the weak milk but the movement of the ship was barely noticeable so we could have been sitting in our own house. The furnishings of the restaurant and the ship in general were all of wood which gave it the appearance of an old railway carriage.
I took the opportunity of this quiet spell to have a look at the engine room which was open to view on the lower deck. The view was of three pistons driving the paddle wheels on either side of the ship. Although the sight was impressive after a while I began to think there must be more to it than at first sight and bought a small pamphlet from the onboard shop giving details of the mechanical arrangements. Sure enough there is considerably more than meets the eye. The ship is powered by two oil fired boilers; there was one originally with two exhausts hence the two funnels but this was replaced for a second time in 2000 by the two. The boilers supply steam at 150psi to the first piston. The exhaust steam from the first piston drives the second and the exhaust from the second drives the third at an inlet pressure of about 1.0psi. This exhausts to the condenser which is held at 25inches of vacuum by the air extraction equipment. The condenser is cooled by pumping sea water through the tubes. In addition there is equipment for pumping the condensate through the boilers, equipment for changing the speed of the paddles and equipment for steering. All this equipment would make up a power station on land so we were particularly impressed by the reliability and hard work that must go into maintaining and operating the ship.
The steering equipment means the ship can be operated from the bridge but there is an emergency steering wheel at the rear which had I not read the book I would assume was just there for decoration. The steady pounding noise of a diesel driven ship is not there in a paddle steamer and in general it was very quiet but after a while you recognise a dede dede dede-dede dede deda sort of musical sound that was rather comforting. I also noticed a couple of flat screen monitors on the bridge and one in the engine room which obviously were not there when it was built but then I suppose neither were the rules and regulations.
We returned to the outside deck area as the ship approached Portsmouth and manoeuvred past yachts, ferries and hovercraft. Portsmouth seems to be a busy dock area and especially so when there is a festival on the Isle of Wight. The movement of visitors to the ‘Bestival’ took precedence over our ship and we were not allowed to disembark or embark passengers through the dock terminal although we were allowed to dock. This meant that over two hundred passengers had to board a special Gosport ferry boat which left the dock for a few yards before it pulled alongside the Waverley so that the passengers could be transferred. The few passengers going to Portsmouth then went in the reverse direction. We also had to wait until the regular Gosport ferry had left before continuing on our journey.
Eventually we left Portsmouth about half an hour late and sailed back westwards near the coast of the Isle of Wight. The large number of passengers that boarded at Portsmouth meant that the ship was quite busy so we were a bit apprehensive about the queues at the restaurant. In the event we did not have to wait very long. The menu was rather confusing as it gave the lunch and dinner menus on the same sheet and it was not until we ordered that we found out that it was still on the lunch menu. We found the food adequate but nothing special; a typical ferry meal.
After lunch/dinner we went back on deck to see the sights as we sailed along the north coast of the Island. We cruised past Osborne House followed by Cowes were we manoeuvred past the ferries entering and leaving the port. The swell became greater the further west we went until as we approached Yarmouth it was quite choppy. The swell combined with the running tide meant that we could not enter Yarmouth so this part of the trip was cancelled which conveniently compensated for the delay we had at Portsmouth. Nevertheless we sailed on towards the Needles. As we rounded the lighthouse on the Needles we were exposed to the full force of the south westerly wind which produced a very choppy sea. The Waverley is not called an ocean going paddle steamer for nothing and coped with the seas quite well. That is until we decided to turn round when we got to Freshwater bay. We had just decided that the ship was going to go all along the south coast back to Portsmouth and went inside to escape the wind but at this point the ship turned round in the rough seas and we had great difficulty in keeping our feet. After we had managed this manoeuvre however the pitching of the ship returned to normal and we slowly returned and rounded the Needles once more. A few of the passengers were looking a bit apprehensive in the choppy seas and one was violently sick over the side of the ship. Luckily for her and those close to her the wind was blowing away from the deck. The surprising thing was that no one seemed to notice this episode and the woman herself walked back to her seat as if nothing had happened.
After returning round the Needles the sea become calmer in the shelter of the island and we sailed past Yarmouth once more. Having seen the sights on the way there we decided to return to the restaurant for an afternoon cup of coffee. This time I tried the cappuccino but it was very much like the latte in being made of weak milk. Once again we returned to the outside deck for our approach to Portsmouth. Passing the outside of the lounge windows we could not help but notice the same people who boarded at Portsmouth were still in the same seats not having moved throughout their journey. Whether this was from fear or to prevent anyone else claiming their seat was open to doubt.
The run in to Portsmouth was again busy with shipping including the large ferry from Spain which is due to be discontinued shortly. The passengers at Portsmouth were able to transfer straight to the dock terminal as normal so we did not have to wait long before our journey resumed. The ship seemed very quiet without the Portsmouth contingent and we were able to get a prime seat in one of the lounges for our return to Southampton. We had had a long and unusual day so we were quite tired when we eventually docked at Southampton. We were among the first to leave the ship handing in our tickets as we left. This was the first time that anyone had asked to see our tickets so we had boarded and had a full days cruising on trust that we had bought a ticket which was quite unusual in this day and age. We duly paid our parking ticket from the £10 in coins that we had saved all day and drove home.

Martin Down

Waterside Natural History Society visit to Martin Down
The recent rain, although welcome, has not been enough to prevent the leaves on deciduous trees from turning brown. Horse Chesnut leaves for instance, which have a large surface area, have turned dark brown as if the trees have died.The conker shells are the only part that remains green. Hopefully this is a natural protection against the dry weather and green leaves will appear again next year. Grasses in the meadow and crops in the field have also turned a straw colour but in their case fresh shoots are already starting to reappear. Interestingly the forest areas are at their most colourful with the pinks of the heather and emerald green of the bracken contrasting well with the yellow of the Dwarf Gorse. Martin Down was also looking colourful but that was because of the number and variety of wild flowers growing amongst the short grasses.
Driving south from Salisbury we had to drive through three counties before reaching Martin Down although since it is at the junction of Wiltshire, Dorset and Hampshire this was not as big a challenge as it first appears. Martin Down is however just in Hampshire and we arrived on a dull and breezy day in August hoping for some improvement in the weather.
Our first challenge occurred just a few paces on to the down and that challenge was to name all the different varieties of wild flower. One sign of a well established and flourishing countryside is the sheer number of different flowers and since they are flowering and setting seed at all times of the year to see so many on the day of our visit was very impressive. Yellow flowers included Toadflax,Ragwort, St. Johns Wort, Wild Mignonette, Ladies Bedstraw and Agrimony as well as the members of the daisy family such as Catsear and Autumn Hawkbit. Red was represented by the Red Bartsia growing low to the ground and white by the Eyebright which has a multicoloured pattern on closer inspection. The predominant colours however are the blue and purple of the Field Scabious, Sheepsbit Scabious,Self Heal, Harebells and particularly the Knapweeds.
This abundance of flowers usually means that butterflies have a good chance of being around but the dull and breezy weather did not act in our favour. Fortunately the weather warmed up as the day progressed and butterflies flying low to the ground were able to find a sheltered spot. In the event we managed to see a total of eighteen different species which was excellent when you consider there are only just over thirty in the country which do not all appear at the same time. Some of the usually common butterflies such as Red Admiral, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell are in short supply this year but we managed to find examples of all three. Small White, Large White and Green Veined White were also there as well as the Brimstones. Gatekeepers, Small Heath, Meadow Brown and Ringlet made up the browns. We also saw one Small Skipper but they are getting to the end of their flight period. There were quite a number of Common Blue and one or two Holly blues but we also saw Chalk Hill Blue and Adonis Blue. The intense shining blue of the male Adonis is particularly striking and once seen is never forgotten. The predominant colour of all the female blues is brown so identification is made even harder.
Larger butterflies such as the Silver Washed Fritillary were seen usually fluttering quickly past but we were fortunate to see a Queen of Spain Fritillary feeding on flowers as we returned to the car park. The latter is a migrant so it must have been holidaying on the south coast.
After lunch we went round the western part of the reserve which is thickly wooded and gives a completely different habitat to that over the road to the east. Plants such as Hemp Agrimony were common as well as a patch of Solidago or Golden Rod which is usually seen in gardens or florists shops. A patch of Carline Thistle was seen on the shorter grass which although looking as if it had gone to seed presents a striking picture.
Nature flourishes in Martin Down and no opportunity is wasted. As we returned to the car park over the cattle grid we could see a small pond had formed under the grids with bulrushes and tadpoles wriggling about in the water. There is always something new to see when you visit Martin Down.

Waterside Natural History Society visit Magdelen Down near Winchester
The lack of rain since early spring has made the Waterside area unusually dry. Even the rain of the last week or so has not been enough to make a difference since the high temperatures mean that any water evaporates before it has a chance to soak into the ground. Garden plants and wild flowers cope with the lack of water in several different ways. Their prime object is survival but survival in the plant world means survival of the species and not of the individual plant. With this in mind the plant first of all withdraws water from the leaves and puts all its energy into producing a flower. The flower may be smaller than normal and last for only as long as it takes for fertilisation to take place but only when seeds are produced will it wither and die completely. Some plants do not normally flower until late in the summer and these have adapted to cope with a dry season. They have small spiky leaves with a small surface area or leaves with a hairy covering which reduces evaporation.
The dry season was obvious as soon as we began our walk over Magdelen Down. Grasses were a straw brown colour and flowers which were abundant had numbers which had already gone to seed. Ladies Bedstraw and Heath bedstraw gave a yellow and white covering to the ground with both greater and lesser Knapweeds adding a purple tinge. Field Scabious with its sky blue flowers and the dark red of wild Marjoram were also at their best. All of these plants have slender leaves and stand up well to the dry weather.
Magdelen Down was seeded with wild flowers in the 1990’s which gives it an artificial provenance but there is no doubt that the plants are thriving. The ground is not grazed so has the appearance of a meadow rather than the downland from which it originated. It will be interesting to see how the area develops but already some of the shorter downland plants such as Thyme, Birdsfoot trefoil, Kidney vetch and Horseshoe vetch are in short supply. One small area that has been scraped down to the bare chalk is starting to be inhabited by these plants.
Insects have had a bad winter but the dry warm weather of the past months have led to a resurgence in their fortunes. The empty chrysalis cases of the Six Spot Burnet moth could be seen on many grass stalks and the moth itself covered many of the plants in flower although they are supposed to feed on vetches. Tufted Vetch and Meadow Vetchling were the only vetches tall enough to grow above the uncut grass. The yellow Melilot, Wild Mignonette and Agrimony provided a suitable alternative. Another moth seen was the small Purple Barred moth and every Ragwort plant was covered in the black and yellow ringed caterpillars of the Cinnabar Moth.
We counted eleven different species of butterfly during our visit with meadow Brown and Gatekeeper being the most common. The Small Skippers provided a challenge at identification as we suspected that some of them may have been Essex skippers in disguise. Whenever anyone brushed against the grasses a sudden movement was the only sight of Grasshoppers or Crickets. Occasionally they could be seen or heard and identified as Crickets by their long antennae whereas Grasshoppers are short. Some people can identify different sorts of Cricket by their sound but this ability deteriorates with age; along with many other faculties.
Many other flowers were present including one plant of Chicory near the entrance with its sky blue flowers. Sainfoin with its rose pink pea like flowers was past its best as was the Black Horehound being propped up in the hedgerows. Black Horehound is a member of the mint family and has a strong tar like smell. St. Johns Wort on the other hand was just coming into flower together with the Hemp Agrimony which is particularly attractive to butterflies.
Magdelen Down is a pleasant and unexpected place to visit being so close to Winchester but is not extensive and requires little effort provided you don’t go too far down the hill and have to walk back up again.

Orchids

Waterside Natural History Society day with Orchids
Our original outdoor visit was cancelled to make way for a look at Orchids. It is always difficult to predict when flowers are at their best, particularly this year, so when we heard that the Orchids were coming into flower we quickly rearranged our schedule to take advantage of this opportunity.
Charles Darwin after he had written ‘The origin of the species’ followed up with ‘Fertilisation of Orchids by Insects’. This was no accident since besides being beautiful and elusive flowers they have a unique fertilisation adaptation. Insects normally fertilise flowers by picking up pollen from one flower and depositing it on another. This carries the risk however of self pollination but is avoided in the case of Orchids by a clever adaptation. The pollen lies in masses, pollinia, at the top of a stalk, caudicle, resting on a sticky base covered in a thin membrane, rostellum. When the insect touches the membrane it breaks exposing the sticky base which attaches itself and the pollinia to the proboscis of the insect. When it first attaches the pollinia is held vertically but after about half a minute it falls over to a horizontal position. This means that the insect can visit other flowers on the same stalk within the half minute without pollinating but when it later visits another orchid the pollinia is in the horizontal position which allows fertilisation.
If this seems complicated think of the many millions of gene formulations that must have occurred to enable this process to evolve and reach the perfection we see today. The individual orchid flower consists of three sepals and three petals but the sepals have been adapted to look like petals. Normally the three sepals are at the top of the flower and form a hood over the lower petals, two of which are in the form of wings to either side and the bottom petal is in the shape of a lip hanging down from the flower. A spur is usually positioned to the rear of the flower.
We had to travel to different locations in the New forest in order to see a variety of Orchids and we were lucky to have as a guide Roger Grieve who not only knew where they were but holds a vast amount of information about them. Sometimes we had to stop the car at the side of the road and dive in to a boggy area in order to inspect the orchids more closely.
The first four varieties of Orchid although not at the same location all belonged to the same group. This was the Dactylorhiza group which is characterised by having long bracts between the individual flowers of the flower spike. They can therefore be identified by their dense flower heads. The ‘Heath Spotted Orchid’ is usually identified as a pale pink rounded spike amongst the heather. They have a broad three lobed lower lip with the middle lobe the smallest. The dark markings on the individual flower tend to form a loop around the lower lip. However the size and shape of the middle lobe varies widely from one to another. The leaves are all very pointed running up the central stem and are pale green with circular purple spots on either side of the centre line.
The next orchid was the ‘Common Spotted Orchid’. It generally has a bigger and fuller flower spike with a Christmas tree look. The individual flowers have a lower lip with three almost equal lobes and the dark markings are more in the form of dots or blotches. The leaves are a darker green than the Heath Spotted with purple transversely elongated spots but the greatest difference is that the lower leaves are broad and elliptical. Orchid leaves are very tasty however and often the lower leaves are the first to be eaten.
The third orchid was the ‘Early Marsh Orchid which has particularly long bracts. A distinguishing feature is that the stem is hollow which can be observed by squeezing between the thumb and forefinger. The individual flower has a lower lip with sides that are bent back giving it a narrow look. Dark markings are U-shaped with blotches at the centre. The spur behind the flower is straight and tapering. Leaves which cling to the stem are all pointed; keeled, without spots, and rise to a hooded tip.
The fourth and last in the Dactylorhiza group was the ‘Common Marsh Orchid ‘which is sometimes divided into the northern and southern marsh orchids although only the southern is present in our area. The stem is stouter than the early marsh orchid so is not so obviously hollow. Flowers are usually dark rose purple and a good distinguishing feature is that the top of the stem below the flower head is also purple coloured. The lower lip is broad and does not bend back. Darker green leaves are broad, lanceolate and fan out from the stem.
Our next Orchid looked completely different from the previous four. It was the ‘Lesser Butterfly Orchid’ which has a slim open spike of pale yellow flowers. The bottom lip was in the form of a narrow tongue and at right angles to the back was a straight narrow spur. The sides of the hood had pink markings with a green top. The two pollinia stand vertical in the lesser butterfly orchid whereas in the greater they are curved as is the spur at the rear.
The sixth orchid was the ‘Marsh fragrant Orchid’ which even in the heat of the day had a powerful carnation like smell. The deep pink flowers appear to have a pea shaped centre with delicate horizontal wings but this is largely because of their small size and the lower lip being broader than it is long. The orchid has slim keeled leaves and bracts between the individual flowers but it still retains an open appearance.
We also saw one or two Bee Orchids but they were not yet in flower. A ‘Broad Leaved Helleborine’ and several ‘Marsh Helleborine’ were also seen but again not in flower. This brought our total for the day to nine different varieties; an impressive total for such a small area.

Walking in Austria

Holiday in Saalbach Austria
We booked a walking holiday with Leger holidays in Saalbach Austria starting on the 1st of June 2010 for nine days. On the first day we got up at about six in the morning and had a taxi to take us from Hythe to Southampton railway station at about 07.10. We were due to meet our coach at 08.10 and arrived just after 07.30. The weather was overcast and started to rain as we stood at the bus stop. Fortunately the coach was early so we did not get wet; we had plenty of opportunity for that later. This coach, number 134, was a feeder coach which changed to a tour coach at Dover so it was as comfortable as any we had.
Several hours later we arrived at Dover and began the coach changeover to coach number 132 which we had for the rest of our holiday. By this time it was raining steadily and we were not the only coach holiday changing coaches. The reception area became more and more crowded by people trying to escape the rain so that we were packed like sardines in a can. Soon however we were allowed to board our tour coach.
This is where we first met our driver and courier who were a married couple called Shaznlez. They were both able to drive the coach and also quite good at making coffee but as for couriering they were not so good. Shaz had a high pitched laugh that would detect a bat at fifty paces so we tried our best during the tour not to make her laugh. It was at this time that we realised that our coach consisted of two tour parties. We had some clue from the label on the front which read ‘Sel em Zee and the Gems of Austria’ and out of a total of thirty or so only eleven were actually walkers, the rest were touring daily on the coach.
Our channel crossing was uneventful but the highlight was a meal of fish and chips. This was so heavy that we did not need any other food for the rest of the holiday. We got back on the coach at Calais which took us straight to Brussels in Belgium. Our destination was the Crowne Plaza hotel near Brussels airport. This was a surprisingly nice hotel with triple glazing so you could not hear any plane noise. It was built in the shape of a boat only bigger with the rooms round the edge and an atrium in the middle going up for seven floors including the basement. The lifts, which all worked, had glass walls so you could view the atrium as you went up and down. We did not arrive there until 20.30 and we had to get up early the next morning so we had a quick drink and went to bed.
Day two, which was a Sunday, involved thirteen hours on a coach so we had to get up early once again. The journey went from Brussels through the whole of Germany and a short way into Austria. Germany was relatively flat but we were held up by several roadwork’s; one of which had an accident in the opposite lane which delayed us further. It was not until we entered Austria that the scenery became mountainous and we also had to endure some heavy rain showers. We arrived at the Berger Sport hotel in Saalbach around 20.30 and had to quickly go to our rooms before coming down for dinner. The dinner, as with all our meals, was very good and it was here that we met our dining companions for the holiday. They were two ladies from Norfolk called Ann and Gillian who were quite nice and normal in their conversation. We were glad to get to our bed after such a long day in the coach.
Our hotel was a clean but old building that had been in the Berger family for forty years or more. The family were a cross between the Munsters and Fawlty towers. They put on an act of pleasing us but you always suspected that guests were something they put up with under suffrage. Our room was quite small in that you had to walk sideways round the bed and the bathroom was a converted wardrobe so you had to open the door to bend over the sink. There were no tea making things in the room and the lounge was locked until 18.00. There was also nowhere to dry clothes as we found out after our first days walk.
Day three was the Monday and the first walking day. Whilst everyone else went for a tour on the coach we eleven intrepid walkers gathered in the hotel reception at 08.30 as instructed by the hotel receptionist. The guide dutifully arrived at 09.30 as per our original instructions; the receptionist having got the time wrong. Since Shaznlez had gone on the coach we had our own local guide for our walks. Astrid was the name of our guide and if that does not sound very Austrian it is because she was Danish. She had come to Austria for a holiday six years ago and decided to stay. Astrid was about twenty to thirty years of age and slender like a mountain goat. She did not say a great deal but what she did say was always useful and to the point. We were to think highly of her capabilities before the end of the week. When she arrived at the hotel she brought with her tickets in the form of a plastic card, one for each of us, with which we had only to wave at any bus driver or cable car to allow us to travel.
Saalbach is situated in a valley which runs east to west with an opening to the east but surrounded on the north, south and west by high mountains. Our first walk was to the west of the valley in an area called Lengau and to reach it we travelled on the local bus as far as it would go to the west. When we got off the bus we climbed steadily along the valley over first tarmac, then gravel then rocky paths. The weather when we set out was dull with drizzle which we had expected from our hotel and had dressed accordingly. As we climbed higher however the drizzle became more persistent and began to change to sleet. At last we reached a wooden alpine lodge that served meals and drinks. The meal of goulash soup was good and very welcome. When we came to continue our walk the slushy rain had changed to wet snow. We had reached the highest point of our walk however and we turned round to walk back along the other side of the valley towards Saalbach. The walk was quite strenuous for anyone unused to hills, as we were, but we enjoyed being out in the open air despite the rain and snow.
In the evening we were told of some entertainment that had been laid on for the next three nights for an additional charge of eleven euros which included drinks. We were also invited to a welcoming party by the hotel management which had the incentive of a glass of champagne. Unfortunately it included the singing of two songs which had been printed out for us to sing the words. The songs were ‘We love to go a wandering’ and ‘Eidelweiss’.
Day four, the Tuesday, promised more of the same wet weather with cloud and snow on the mountain tops. Our original itinerary meant we should have gone by cable car up the mountain to the north of the village but this cable car was shut and not due to open until the Thursday; two days hence. The clouds were also way below the mountain top so we would have seen nothing anyway. Astrid decided that we should go on the cable car from Hinterglemm half way up the mountain to Winklerhof on the south side of the valley. We were due to go on this walk on the last day of our holiday. These cable cars run singly along the wire and slow down at the top and bottom where the doors open for you to get on and off. At the top it was drizzling and misty with some lying snow but it was good enough for walking. There were manmade ponds near the cable car exit which filled during the summer and were used for artificial snow making in the winter. Further along we came to an alpine garden display which consisted of a walkway alongside of which were planted named alpine plants. I would have found this very useful but it had quite a lot of wet snow and the cold weather meant that most of the flowers had died off.
The idea of the walk was that we caught the bus to Hinterglemm, went up in the cable car and walked back down to Saalbach. As we descended towards the valley bottom the snow disappeared and although it was very damp the alpine meadows were very impressive. I felt quite satisfied with myself that I could name most of the wildflowers having seen them in Britain but when I consulted a guide that we picked up at the flower garden I realised that most of the flowers were similar but not identical to the ones at home.
At dinner that evening we met our new waiter who we immediately christened ‘Manuel’. The similarity to the Fawlty towers character was striking in that all his energy seemed to be in action and none in his brain. He had apparently spent some time in England working for Gordon Ramsey. In order to improve his English he said ‘Good morning Mr Ramsey’ whenever he met him. To which Mr Ramsey always replied with ‘f**k off’. It was not long before Manuel had sufficient English to allow him to return to Austria.
Tonight was the first night of our entertainment but I forgot that we were having a free drink and ordered beers when we arrived so I was pleasantly surprised to find an extra drink on the table. The entertainment was a group of three men and three women in alpine costumes performing local folk dances and routines such as blowing alpine horns and maypole dances. They were very good at involving the audience and anyone that helped got a glass of Schnapps as a reward.
Day five was a day off for the walkers who joined the rest of the tour for a visit to Saltsburg. Unfortunately the rain which started off as drizzle became heavier as the day wore on. The coach could not go to the city centre but parked some distance away. Thanks to Shaznlez who told us to ‘follow the yellow signs to the city centre’ we only got mildly wet by the time we got there. Because it was so wet we decided to go round the City Museum which cost us seven euros each. It was quite a modern place but we did not have enough time to do it justice and left hoping the rain had eased off for a walk round the centre. This was not the case however so we spent a lot of time sheltering from the rain before returning to the coach. We did get a piece of fruit cake covered in pastry from the market which was to come in useful later. As a special treat Shaznlez took the coach to a small village beside a lake in the afternoon rain. Again we had to leave the coach outside the village and walk in the rain to the centre. When we got there a funeral was in progress and the church bells were ringing so we decided to find a cafe and have a break. The church was famous as the wedding church in ‘Sound of Music’. As it turned out the cafe we went to was the highlight of our day but we were glad when we got back to the hotel to dry out.
The second evening’s entertainment was a man on keyboards with a woman singer. When we took our seats I didn’t bother buying drinks because I hoped for another free drink. This was not forthcoming however so I had to get an order while the entertainment was in progress. Although not brilliantly performed the songs were familiar and we were able to sing along and dance together after a fashion.
During the night the rain continued and the fire callout sirens woke us up in the early hours apparently to attend to some local flooding. As usual the reality was not as bad as the dreams and the morning arrived with slightly better weather. Day six, the Thursday, was also a local public holiday with parades that we observed from our balcony after breakfast. Unfortunately the local supermarket, which was one of the few shops usually open, had also closed for the holiday so we were unable to get sandwiches for our lunch. Luckily we had our fruit cake in pastry which we took with us on our walk.
The walk was one of the longest and toughest of our holiday. We took the cable car from Saalbach, which had just reopened, up the north side of the valley. The cable car in this case consisted of six cars in tandem that stopped and waited at the stops until people got on before starting again. In this case there were two stops, one in the middle and one at the top, and we got off at the top. The weather was still drizzle with cloud and lying snow on the mountains so we could not see any of the scenery until we were about half way down. The idea of the walk was to go from the cable car stop at Kohlmaskopf eastwards and downhill to Winselm then down to Saalbach. We found the terrain quite difficult through the pine woods and Astrid gave us her walking stick which came in very useful. We stopped at a mountain hut which was deserted apart from us and ate our fruit cake at the table whilst looking out to the mist and the only sign of life which was the tinkle of bells on the alpine cattle. After the first days walk our number was reduced by three down to eight and after the second another two gave up so there was only six of us left, and Astrid, for this walk.
Things looked up after we left the hut. For one thing we were lower down and for another we reached a gravel track which made the going easier. The rain had also stopped before we reached the lodge at Winselm which had just opened for drinks and food. I had a piece of Apfel Stroudel but it was micro waved so did not taste as good as the recommendations. The rest of our walk was on hard tracks and roads which although it pulled on our downhill muscles was quite straightforward.
The evening’s entertainment was an ‘Elvis lookalike’. He looked like you would suppose Elvis looked like if he were still alive today; even fatter and more wrinkled. He could have imitated Roy Orbison just as well. The first part of his act was general songs, the second, after he had changed into his Elvis costume was Elvis songs, and the third was Tom Jones. If you disregarded his appearance his voice was not too bad and we were able to sing along for most of his numbers. I was particularly disappointed that he did not do ‘Wooden Heart’ until after I had gone to bed.
Day seven, the Friday, was the last day of our holiday in Saalbach and it promised to be the best weather of the week. We had already decided not to do the scheduled walk which was similar to the walk of the previous day but on exiting from the cable car we would have turned east instead of west and walked along a ridge before returning to the middle cable car stop. The remaining four walkers did this walk but the cloud level was still below the mountain tops when they arrived so they went back up in the cable car to the top in order to see the views after the cloud had cleared.
We decided to repeat the walk in the valley from Lengau that we had done in the poor weather of the first day of our holiday. This proved to be a wise decision as not only was the weather warm and sunny but the adventure playground and associated eating place were open. We therefore caught the local bus, using our travel card, and got off at Lengau to start the walk up the valley. The sun was shining and the temperature climbed slowly as the day wore on so we were able to take off our Berghaus coats and jumpers to walk in short sleeves. Although the rain had stopped water was still rushing in torrents along the streams and the ground at the side of the paths was running water like a wet sponge.
We stopped for lunch at the same place as previously and had the same Goulash soup. The difference was that we were able to eat outside in the sunshine alongside the flowering daffodils overlooking the full length of the valley below. On our return down the valley we encountered a group of people who hooked themselves on to a cable running across the valley and after pushing off whizzed across suspended on the cable. Another cable stretched from the far side so they could return only about fifty metres from where they started off. As it was a hot day we were glad to see the lodge serving the adventure playground open so that we could have a cold drink. This made us slightly late however so we had to rush back to catch the bus which ran at hourly intervals. In the event the bus was late so we reached the stop with time to spare.
A Harley Davidson rally was in progress over the last two or three days of our holiday and we frequently came across numbers of machines and their riders scattered along the roads and tracks as we went along.
When we got back to the hotel another coach load of people had arrived. This meant that the waiters were very busy for the evening meal. We got our main course alright but the sweets were a long time coming. When they did arrive Ann and Gillian got ice-cream instead of fruit salad. When Manuel was questioned he explained that ice cream was in fact fruit in the same way that black is in fact white. They eventually got what they had ordered but Manuel may be on the move sooner than he expected.
The next day saw our return journey of thirteen hours to Brussels. This was only compensated for by the fact that we returned to the Crowne Plaza hotel.
Our last day started with warm sunshine and a late breakfast call so we had the opportunity of walking in the park at the back of the hotel. This was particularly pleasant with the ducks and the croaking frogs around the large pools. The coach trip to Calais was relatively short but soon after we left the hotel the rain started and became quite heavy. We changed back to our feeder coach at a tax free supermarket just outside Calais. We did not buy anything ourselves to save carrying it back home so we just walked through the shop and waited for our coach. This coach was delayed slightly by flooding just outside Paris but it had a quick turnaround and we were one of the first to arrive at Calais. The ferry crossing and feeder coach return home took until about 20.30 so it was a long and weary day.
Thus ended our walking holiday in Austria.

Ladycross New Forest

Waterside Natural History Society walk round Ladycross
Of all the shades of green the lime green of a fresh beech leaf must be one of the finest. The beech tree bursts into life every spring with masses of stored up energy to produce perfect leaves in their thousands. Bud scales are showered down like brown snowflakes onto the ground and into the lunch of the unwary traveller. Sometimes we take for granted the ordinary sights of nature looking at the bluebells on the ground instead of the green of the beech trees above but on our walk round Ladycross the green was all too evident and a pleasure to see. Beech trees are a good place to see the St. Marks fly which is so called because it is meant to appear on St. Marks day the 25th of April. They are black flies with long legs dangling below the body, flying slowly around seemingly oblivious to all predators, hoping for protection in their vast numbers.
We started our walk from the Hawkhill car park on the B3055 road between Beaulieu and Brockenhurst. The idea was to walk in an anticlockwise circle of about six miles taking in the Hawkhill and Frame Heath inclosures before walking alongside Ladycross Lodge to the campsite on Lodge Heath and the old airfield on Beaulieu heath.
The trees were well spaced Scots pines at first but soon changed to Beech and Oak as we progressed through Hawkhill inclosure. We met a surprisingly large number of people on our walk in the woodland, mostly groups of young people with rucksacks, and cyclists on an organised event. It is good to see young people out in the countryside instead of stuck indoors in front of a computer but it was difficult to tell if they were actually enjoying themselves.
Buzzards were occasionally seen either flying through the trees or way up in the sky above but the Red Kite with its characteristic forked tail is beginning to be seen in the area. They are certainly an impressive sight but you can’t help feeling apprehensive for the smaller birds that provide a ready meal. A herd of fallow deer ran across our path at one point but it was generally too busy a day to see them at rest.
The original object of our walk was to look for open meadow within the woodland in order to check for wild flowers but a combination of the late spring and lack of grassland meant we were somewhat unsuccessful in our efforts. There were quite a number of flowers by the side of the forest paths however and the most common was the Dog Violet. Dog violet is so named because it has no smell and was deemed suitable only for ‘dogs’. The Violet does not occur in swathes like the Bluebell but instead sprinkles itself innocuously over the grass verges leaving room for the white of the wild strawberry and yellow of the tormentil. Lousewort adds a touch of pink whilst the green of the wood spurge adds depth to the colours.
Walking through the woodland was a pleasant experience from the rambling point of view but it was not until we came out onto the open scrub of the old airfield that we noticed anything interesting in the nature field. The mature gorse bushes, in flower at the moment, are a favourite habitat for the Dartford Warbler and we were able to watch a male bird for some time as it went about its business of gathering food. It was assumed that the harsh winter might have killed off some of these birds but they seem to be still thriving in the New Forest.
The next thing we noticed were a group of Green Winged Orchids at the side of the old runways. These orchids have unspotted leaves that come to a hooded tip some of which cling to the stem. The flowers have a broad lower lip and the upper lip is folded over in the form of a hood. This lip has lines running towards the tip and if you look closely under the hood the gaps between the lines are green which gives the orchid its name. The green wings are not obvious however and they may be taken for early purple orchids at a casual glance.
The walk itself was much the same as any to be found in the New Forest but if you take an interest in your surroundings it can turn out to be a rewarding day out at any time of the year.

Waterside Natural History Society visit to Michelmersh
A combination of warm spring sunshine, beautiful countryside and an Icelandic volcano provided an excellent walk round Michelmersh in the middle of April. The volcano eruption meant that all plane flights were cancelled leaving the skies clear and the area noise free. We were able to listen to the birdsong instead. The Blackcaps, which have recently arrived from their migration, have a strong, melodic call with a variety of notes that is a delight to hear whilst walking through open woodland. We counted about a dozen during our walk, although we only saw two or three since they have a habit of hiding in the bushes. Chiffchaffs are another recent spring migrant with a distinctive call which happens to coincide with their name. Although their call is rather coarse and repetitive it is a welcome reminder of spring. Swallows and House martins appear to have reached their nesting areas but relatively few are seen on the wing at the moment. They are particularly fond of the barns and farm buildings which were scattered along our walk.
The walk, which starts and ends at the church in Michelmersh, followed a triangular route along tracks to Lower Eldon farm to meet Eldon road at Humbers wood then south along Eldon road before turning west back along the Monarchs way to the church. Roads in this area are not in the motorway class at the best of times and we were able to walk along Eldon road without meeting any traffic. Other tracks and lanes are quite substantial with tarmac in several areas. The distance is about five and a half miles.
Much of the earlier parts of the walk were through or alongside open woodland and one of the objects of the walk was to see swathes of bluebells. Unfortunately spring is about a month late this year and although some of the bluebells were in flower it will be the end of April before the blue swathes are evident. Other spring flowers were appearing however such as the Wood anemone, Celandine, Primrose, Barren strawberry and Violets. Both the early dog violet, with its pointed sepals and dark spur, and the sweet violet were present. Spurs of Solomans seal, just beginning to turn over at the top but not yet in flower, were present in numbers on the woodland floor together with Moschatel.
Between the woods the rolling chalk downland provided a familiar alternative. A good number of hares were seen during the course of our walk. It is always difficult to predict exactly where hares are going to be seen so coming across them unexpectedly and in such numbers was a delight. We also came across a group of Guinea fowl later in the walk but in an area of farmland such as this the wild and the managed animals are hard to distinguish.
During our walk back along Eldon road we called in to see the church of St. John the Baptist which is described as having the smallest parish in England. Its charm lies in its simplicity which consists of a single room with wooden chairs, a small organ and a small lectern for a pulpit. This contrasted nicely with a bright yellow primrose plant on the doorstep which appeared to be trying to get closer to heaven.
Eldon road appears to be an ancient pathway to King’s Somborne as it is sunk into the surrounding countryside and plants such as Butchers broom indicate mature woodland. Primroses and violets grew on the raised banks at a convenient waist height and cowslips were just coming into bloom. A variety of plants in the dead nettle family were coming into flower. The red dead nettle flowers all the year but the white dead nettle was starting to flower and the yellow archangel was just showing its characteristic yellow colour. The blue flowered ground ivy has also been in flower for a few weeks now.
Butterflies such as Brimstone, Peacock, Small tortoiseshell and Orange tip were seen as well as a Speckled Wood and a blue butterfly in a woodland glade which was probably a Holly blue. Holly blue are one of the first of the blues to be seen and can be recognised by their habit of flying at hedge height.
The flowers of Blackthorn and Plum cover the hedgerows in clouds at the moment but it is not a good sight if you are a hayfever sufferer. These are pollinated by bees and flying insects so don’t disperse a lot of pollen. Trees that pollinate by wind dispersal have no need of bright flowers so are not noticeable but a shake of the branches of any conifer tree can release clouds of pollen.
The walk although not overly long by rambling standards takes some time if you stop and look at everything so it was with relief that we saw the cock on top of the church tower as we came to the end of our walk.

Wilverley New Forest

Wootton Bridge via Wilverley (6.9miles)
This is a varied walk at any time of year but is particularly pleasant in summer. The walk can be started from any of three or four car parks and can be said to be a walk from one car park to another. I do not however recommend starting from the car park at Holmesley as it is a small secluded park near to the busy A35, an ideal place for thieves, and is often closed in winter to deter itinerant travellers. Wootton Bridge is a nice place to start for several different walks and is particularly good because you finish the walk unexpectedly after emerging from the wood.
So starting from Wootton Bridge we turned left on to the main road and crossing over the road we walked up to the junction at Wilverley. Just before the junction we veered to the right and crossed over the road to walk up towards Wilverley Lodge. The track follows the road and crosses over the access road to the lodge before continuing on towards the car park for Wilverley inclosure. We walked along the car park access road to enter the inclosure through the main gate. The main path, which is also a cycle route, continues ahead and when we came to an old inclosure sign with a wooden seat on the right we turned right along a minor path.
After fifty metres or so we turned left along an even smaller track which we followed until we came to a junction of tracks in a dip within an open space at which we took the path at about one o’clock. We followed this track for a short distance until we saw a track going to the right and leading us out of the woods. It is not important where you exit the wood so long as it is to the right hand side. Wilverley inclosure is a mixed deciduous and mixed coniferous wood which has been thinned over the years to encourage tree growth. Many of the coniferous trees are Douglas fir and growing quite large.
Once out of the woods we turned left and continued in a straight line following the edge of the wood as far as the main A35 road which we crossed over. The track then followed an old abandoned road over the open heathland. When we came to a bend and dip in the road we turned left between the second and third road markers through the hedge to the valley beyond. This is revealed as a hidden valley which is quite unusual in the New Forest and feels as if you have entered another world. When we did the walk in early April Lapwing were seen on the ground and one was in the air chasing off a crow. On emerging through the hedge we took a faint track round the right side of the marshy area which goes round the hill to the right. We then crossed over to the right of a low marshy area known as Holmans bottom before rising again to emerge at a minor road called Station Road. We saw a pair of bullfinch in the bushes of this low lying area.
At the road we turned left and walked along the side of the road for a short distance before crossing over the road to a car park. We maintained the direction of the car park access road over the brow of a hill to the left and followed the track downhill and over the heath. We could see a row of power cables in the distance and the track goes along the line of poles before veering off to the left towards a modern looking building on the road to Burley. On reaching this building, which is at the junction of the road and the dismantled railway, we turned left along the dismantled railway line back towards Holmesley.
At the end of the line we called in to the tearooms at Holmesley for our lunch. We then turned left out of the tearooms to walk along the road to the main A35 which we carefully crossed to start down a side road back to Wilverley. Instead of following this road we turned right opposite the forest car park through the hedge and over an old wooden stile. We followed the faint track over a bridge on the Avon Water and continued straight ahead across the water meadow to a five bar gate entering the Brownhill inclosure. The path then goes uphill to join the main track where we turned left to follow the broad path back to Wootton Bridge.

Cadland Manor
Lepe Country Park is a popular venue for visitors wishing to go for a stroll on a fine day or for beachcombing or just to eat lunch in the car whilst enjoying the scenery. The countryside does not end at the boundary of the park though but continues on to the surrounding private land; much of which is inaccessible to visitors. All is not lost however when Natural England combined with Environmental Stewardship come to the rescue.
Natural England is a public body that brings together English Nature, The Countryside Agency and Rural development service. Its aims are to conserve wildlife, maintain landscape quality, protect historic environment, protect natural resources and most important for us to promote public access. Environmental Stewardship is an agri-environment scheme run by the department for the environment and provides three schemes to assist land management. These are entry level stewardship, organic entry level stewardship and higher level stewardship. Cadland Manor subscribes to the higher level stewardship which means that it receives subsidies per hectare and for specific land management schemes. In return it agrees to abide by the aims of Natural England which for us means allowing some public access.
So it was that on a fine morning in the middle of March we were welcomed by our guide, and a Mediterranean Gull, to the estate of Cadland Manor and the coastline to the east of Lepe that visitors don’t normally see. Unfortunately the previous week had seen a great deal of rain and some of the paths were underwater to such an extent that it restricted our route through the estate. Spring is also late this year and the brown winter coat still covers much of the countryside. There are some signs of spring to show that it will win in the end such as the hazel catkins which have been producing pollen for a while now and you can spend some time looking for the small red flowers on the end of the buds.
Bluebell leaves cover much of the inland pathways so that it is difficult to avoid treading on them and the glossy green leaves of lesser celandine promise golden yellow flowers in the coming days. A few primroses are already in flower and the blue flowers of ground ivy are a welcome sight in the brown earth. The drier areas near the coast encourage Gorse to grow and they are spotted with yellow flowers at the moment.
We were lucky to see a slow worm trying to warm up on the pathway and an adder was spotted later in the day as it slunk away beneath the gorse. A group of forest ponies provided to keep down the vegetation were seen and a white mare had just given birth the previous night to a black foal with a white flash on its head. A single female Roe deer was disturbed as we moved noisily through the woods. Some of the trees growing in the poor soils and shingle struggle to grow properly and one oak tree appeared to be missing its trunk as its branches grew horizontally along the ground. Apparently this is a good spot to view purple hairstreak butterflies that normally live high up in the oak canopy.
Shingle forms much of the coastline in this area and provides good exercise for walkers. It also provides a good habitat for rare and unusual plants. Little robin which is named after ragged robin but is related to Herb Robert was producing leaves along much of the shore but was not yet in flower. Although on the surface shingle forms a clear coastline both the salty sea water and the fresh ground water can penetrate below ground so the separation is determined by the height of the water table. A low water table lets more seawater penetrate in to the streams and lagoons behind the shore making the water brackish and difficult for some plants to grow. The shingle has on the other hand formed a barrier across an area known as Jugglers Moor preventing sea water from flooding the low lying area and disrupting water flows on the landward side that previously drove the Stanswood Mill.
We had to return back along the shingle beach because of the flooded paths so a circular route was impossible. Nevertheless we had a worthwhile and interesting walk and are grateful for all the assistance provided by the estate of Cadland Manor.

Sparsholt Walk (7 miles)
We began our walk from the Crab Wood car park on the old roman road between Winchester and Salisbury. This car park was chosen because it was the first one we came to as we approached from Winchester and also because we did not know our route before we set off. In the event we walked further along the roman road before turning towards Sparsholt along the footpath between Crab Wood and West Wood. We did not have to travel on the road however as there is a track parallel to the road through the wood which would have been very muddy if it was not for the fact that the ground was frozen when we set out.
The track is called Burrow road on the OS map and follows a well wooded path even when it emerges from the wood and continues to a farm at the junction of the Sparsholt road. We could have cut the journey short by following the road to Sparsholt but we crossed over instead to Ham Green lane. The wide track has been designated a nature reserve called Sparsholt Common and gives extensive views over downland towards Sparsholt. At a junction of the paths we turned left back towards Sparsholt along a path that eventually becomes Dean Lane.
At the time of our visit in early March there were patches of snowdrops along the banks both in Dean Lane and in Sparsholt. Snowdrops, called ‘the fair maid of February’ in the past seem to flower consistently in February with scant regard for global warming. They also tend to favour the area near old dwellings rather than out in the countryside almost as if they liked human contact.
Although Dean Lane and subsequent roads through Sparsholt are tarmac they see very little traffic and are a pleasure to walk along. We continued our walk turning left at the end of Dean Lane and past the Plough Inn on the right. This pub looks at first sight to be little more than a small house but judging by the number of cars in the spacious car park it has a lot more room at the back.
The junction of roads after the Plough Inn is confusing at first but a street sign saying ‘Home Lane’ points us in the right direction and we walked straight ahead into this lane. Sparsholt village is located on a hill so the road leaving the village descends to a valley floor marked on the map as ‘no mans land’. The walk along the valley floor gives good views of the downland on either side and during March it is a good bet that hares will be seen gathering together for their march hare displays. We did see three hares at a distance but they never moved during our traverse of the valley. More unusually we also saw at least three buzzards walking on the ground and only occasionally flying short distances before settling on the ground once again.
When we approached an old barn on our right we turned left at a waymarked sign to cross between two unfenced fields and back towards west wood. West wood gradually encroaches on both sides of the path like a funnel before the path finally enters the wood. On entering the wood we continue ahead ignoring the left hand path and along a broad path back up to the roman road. The trees have been extensively thinned throughout the wood giving clear views to either side of the path.
When you think the walk is almost over upon emerging from the woods you are confronted by a fairly steep walk back up to the roman road. We had intended to turn right and visit the Farley Mount monument but the hill decided for us to return back along the road to our car park.

Blashford Lakes
We regularly visit Blashford Lakes and each time there is something new to see. It is particularly useful on a cold wet winter’s day, such as the day of our visit, because you can spend most of the time in the shelter of the bird hides and choose the time between showers to move to another hide.
The first hide that we visited was the woodland hide which is used as a location for feeding the small woodland birds or passerines. Although it is best to feed birds throughout the year now is a particularly important time because of the hard winter and lack of natural food supplies. The birds certainly seem to appreciate it as there were hundreds of small birds and one or two small animals visiting the feeding station at the time we were there.
There were at least two small bank voles dashing out when the birds were away and a rather fat grey squirrel that knew it was on to a good thing hanging round the feeders.
It might seem illogical going all that way when you can watch the birds feeding in your own garden but it is in a woodland setting. The variety of birds and the sheer numbers make it well worthwhile. For instance Siskins, Redpolls and Bramblings are not often seen in an urban garden. Redpolls are a small finch brownish in colour with black streaks. The head as its name suggests is red and it has a black bib; the males have a reddish chest during the breeding season. The Siskin is also a small finch but is greenish yellow with black streaks; the male has a black head. The subspecies of Redpoll have been divided into separate species recently so that the ones we saw are now called Lesser Redpoll. The larger and paler Mealy Redpoll or Common Redpoll may be found on the east coast of Britain in winter but the Arctic Redpoll as its name suggests remains further north. There was a single Long Tailed Tit which is rather unusual as they normally flock together. It was also noticed that there were no Goldfinch at the woodland feeders whereas in urban gardens they are quite common.
You could spend the whole of your visit watching the comings and goings at the woodland hide but eventually we moved, between showers, to another hide overlooking one of the lagoons with dead reeds in shallow water to the front of the hide. As it was near lunchtime we decided to eat our sandwiches in this hide.
Imagine you are a large Pike in a lagoon at Blashford Lakes; master of all you survey; ruler of all the little fishes. As it is a Sunday you are resting in the dead reeds when you feel a slight disturbance in the water so decide to move out of the reeds. Suddenly you feel a sharp pain just behind your left gills and instinctively spring into action trying to move as far away as possible but you are unable to move. You feel yourself slowly dragged just below the surface in such a way that no water flows through your gills and you cannot breathe. After a few minutes when you become weak you feel yourself flung upwards and your last feeling is one of disappearing down a black cavern.
We have finished our sandwiches and started on the apple. The Pike did not know what hit it but we did since we had been watching from our seat in the hide. We saw a Cormorant land on the water, splash through the reeds, and spear a Pike with its bill as it emerged into clear water. The Pike was at least as long as the body of the Cormorant which although normally swimming low in the water had its whole body submerged with the weight of the Pike, only its neck being above water. After a few minutes the Cormorant flung the Pike upwards, stretched its neck, and swallowed the Pike whole. The Cormorant must have struggled to walk on land never mind fly in the air.
After lunch we crossed over the road to Ibsley Water and looked over the water from two of the hides. Ibsley water is a large expanse of water and requires powerful optics to see to the far side. Pairs of Goldeneye however swim over the water diving for food and surfacing a long way from where they started, sometimes quite close to the hide. There seem to be more of these birds this year. Goosanders which were seen on a gravel promontory, appropriately enough from the Goosander hide, are also increasing in number.
We look forward to further visits, hopefully in better weather.

New Forest Walks
Ashley Walk Car Park to Fritham (8miles)
This walk was done in the middle of February so there was not much in the way of wildlife but the scenery was very varied and the hills although moderate in height provide some exercise.
Setting out from the Ashley Walk car park the path descends quite steeply towards the bridge over the Ditchend brook. The path is well marked and the way ahead is clearly visible up the other side of the ‘Blackgutter’ valley. When the path levels out continue ahead ignoring side tracks and eventually the gorse bushes give way to more substantial trees before entering Pitts Wood inclosure. New Forest ponies and cattle tend to congregate on the heath before the inclosure and horse riders are a common sight on the weekend.
Follow the path through the wood crossing a bridge over a stream and upon emerging from the wood an old cast iron sign may be seen on the left of the path indicating when the area was enclosed. A number of paths merge at this point but the route continues left along the cycle track which is marked with a wooden cycle path sign. This path runs along the side of the Amberwood inclosure before it enters the inclosure itself and drops downhill between the trees. Much of this area is deciduous oak or beech trees which have been managed to provide pleasant open woodland.
Follow the main path through the woods, again ignoring paths to the right or left, and eventually the trees thin out and you get a glimpse of the fields around Eyeworth Lodge. There follows an uphill gradient under power lines towards Fritham and the car park. You can stop at the ‘Royal Oak’ pub for a meal and drink but they don’t like you to eat your sandwiches on the premises, not even in the beer garden, so we usually sit on the bench by the village green.
We continued our walk along the tarmac road towards Eyeworth pond which at this point is a single track road going downhill so you have to be aware of cars coming up behind. The pond is a man made feature but there are usually some interesting wildfowl on the pond. At the time we were there twelve Goosanders, both male and female, were swimming and diving quite close to the bank. We were also attracted to several Canada Geese who started calling and two more came in to land on the water flying no more than three metres above our heads.
The next part of the walk is largely over unmarked paths so a map and compass is useful but not essential. We continued along the road past Eyeworth pond until the road ends at the entrance to the last building of Eyeworth Lodge. The end of the road is marked by a gate barrier and a minor track goes to the right of the gate. We however walked to the left of the gate following a faint track along the fenced edge of Eyeworth Lodge. The object is to walk in a north westerly direction through the woods to meet up with the main path along the western edge of the woods so at a corner of the fence we follow the faint track which goes through a break in the inclosure boundary. The boundary at this point is a mound of earth about a metre high. Continuing in this direction we come to a gravel track with a deer fenced enclosure over the other side. Crossing the road we kept the fence to our left until it turned away and maintaining the same direction we came across the Latchmoor brook which we followed on our right. After a short distance we came to a small bridge with a small gravel path which we took to go over the bridge to our right.
The rest of the path through the woods is simply a matter of keeping straight along this path as it is crossed by other tracks, rides and firebreaks. Eventually the path goes uphill and emerges from the woods from where we continue ahead until we turn left onto the main gravel path from Telegraph hill to Ashley ridge.
This path can be followed until it meets the cycle path that we followed on the outward journey but if we take a right turn after some gorse bushes the view over towards Godshill is much more rewarding. The track is not all that distinct but is the only one to the right and rejoins the cycle path between Amberwood and Pitts Wood inclosures. From here we retrace our outward path back to the car park with the unfortunate bonus of a hill climb at the finish. At least we have the benefit of a good view over the route we have taken.

Normandy Marshes

In the middle of the coldest week for some time it did not look very hopeful for our visit to Normandy Marshes at the weekend. However the snow and ice gradually cleared through the week giving way to rain on the Saturday and Sunday dawned as a bright sunny day without any wind; an ideal birdwatching day. Normandy Marshes are accessible through the marina at Lymington and after being housebound for much of the week a great number of people seemed to be intent on enjoying the good weather. Birdwatchers, dog walkers, cyclists and just plain walkers made the coastal paths like a town centre at Christmas.

The elevated paths along the sea defences not only provide good views over the sea and marshes they have the benefit of separating the people from the wildlife and the birds are quite content to ignore all the human activity. A Small Egret was seen at the start of the walk feeding in one of the shallow lagoons. The Egret stands in water up to a few inches below its body and shuffles its feet to disturb the mud thereby releasing small creatures which it stabs with its beak before swallowing. You begin to realise why the Egret has bright yellow feet and black legs since with black feet it would surely stab itself and by natural selection these birds would have all died out.
A whistling sound drew our attention to the Wigeon which are by far the most numerous duck at the moment with Teal not far behind. A group of Shellduck and Cormorants were interspersed with the Gulls, mainly black headed with the occasional Greater black backed gull. On the water Tufted duck and Little Grebes could be seen with the rarer Pintails. In the grassland several Curlew had gathered and round the edges of the water Redshank, Heron, Turnstone and Ringed Plover wandered about looking for food.

One of the advantages of walking in the countryside in the winter on a bright sunny day is the quality of the sunlight. In the summer the sun is directly overhead but in the winter the sun shines at a much smaller inclination and hence through a greater depth of atmosphere. This gives the light a more diffuse quality but the small angle can pick out greater detail on low ground features. A good example of this was the group of four Goldeneye that were on the surface of the second lagoon. Goldeneye are not often seen and are usually a small speck on the surface of the sea but on this occasion they were quite close on the lagoon and lit from behind us by the sun. We were able to see the black and white markings on the two male birds very clearly and when the sunlight caught their black heads they shone with a bottle green iridescence that was quite impressive.

The plumage of the male Goldeneye is at its best at this time of year because of the breeding season and we were particularly fortunate to see the mating display of the male birds. The Goldeneye extends its neck and head as high as it can by stretching and treading water before falling back to its normal position. This is followed by the bird throwing its head backwards towards its tail where it stays with its beak pointing to the sky for some time before repeating the whole procedure again.
One of the islands in the lagoon had a large flock of Dunlin with two Swans all resting during the warm daylight. A few Oystercatchers, Grey Plovers and Godwit were also seen. One or two Lapwing were on the ground but quite large flocks were seen passing over the reserve. A single Avocet was seen with its head tucked under its wing and standing on one pale blue leg.
After lunch we returned to the marina along Normandy lane on the landward side of the reserve. One field of short grassland had a mixed flock of Redwing and Fieldfares as well as a few Lapwing and Curlew. Redwing is something of a misnomer as the wing is not red. The red is on the flanks and is not easy to see when the bird is at rest as the wing covers most if not all of the red patch. The best means of identification is probably the bold eyebrow stripe which often looks more like a punk hairstyle. The birds are quite shy of man and when approached they fly as a flock to the nearest tree and then move after a few seconds when you have just found them in your binoculars.
Normandy Marshes is well worth a visit particularly on a bright winter’s day but don’t expect to be on your own.
The next outdoor meeting is to Blashford Lakes. Meet at the Oak Road car park Dibden Purlieu at 10am on 21st February 2010. Non members welcome at no charge.
The next indoor meeting is ‘A Hampshire Chronicle’ by G.Ponting at St Andrews Hall Dibden Purlieu. Talk starts at 7.30pm on 22nd February 2010. A small charge is made for non members.
Contact the secretary on 023 80893803 for membership details.